Margo Lanagan - Tender Morsels

A few months ago I wrote about being excited for the pending novel from Margo Lanagan. Then, oddly, Tender Morsels arrived and sat on a pile of books waiting to be read. Finally, this weekend, I picked it up; it only took a few chapters before my nose was buried in print to not be released until I finished the adventure.

My first statement is this: starting with her short stories and now this novel, I've never read a book from anybody who can so effortlessly create an unusual world in an unknown place and time as Margo Lanagan can. It is fair to call it fantasy, but not in a sense that I'm constantly reminded that the author has created something clever that I need to adapt to. Accepting Lanagan's worlds is as easy as accepting the stray cat fur on my computer keyboard - it is just the way it is.

And while I'm not the biggest fantasy buff in the world, part of what makes her writing so compelling is that I don't have to be. The only other author who has been able to create a similar setting for me is Clive Barker, so that is pretty good company in my mind.

Second statement: the emotionally haunting short stories I've become accustomed to from Lanagan were multiplied by about 22 for the novel. Each joyful and suffering experience was set up and delivered with remarkable accuracy throughout the story, all tying together for a conclusion of happiness and sadness with near perfection for the tale it supported.

Third statement: yeeesh. I'm probably getting old and grumpy to really know what passes as "young adult" reading material these days, but I can safely say I never read a book like this when I was a kid. This isn't to say it was foul or smutty, but there were definitely a few scenes where the "young" adjective seemed to be misplaced. I dunno; perhaps I'm just an old prude.

I'm pretty sure this is one of those books that will stick with me for many years to come. While I've been fortunate to read some pretty good works lately, Tender Morsels really stands above the rest.